In progress: Mets jump on Kendrick, Phillies early

Catcher Steven Lerud, a nine-year minor league veteran with all of nine games experience above Double-A, gets the start behind the plate catching Kyle Kendrick, who surrendered a run in his first inning of work in today's matinee. The Phillies are trying to avoid another home sweep at the hands of the Mets. [Jump to the newest comments]

Comments

[MG]

JRoll and benching:

- Liked the way Cholly handled it previously. He spoke with JRoll in private, didn't air any dirty laundry, and considered the manner closed. Been a strength of his as a manager here.

Today's game is about managing personalities and Cholly has been really smart not to disclose publicly any of the difficulties he has had with players behind closed doors.

If Cholly deemed it necessary to pull JRoll from the game, then I trust his judgement. Don't think he is a very good tactical manager nor using his players over a season necessarily but I have really liked how he handled himself with his players.

[GBrettFan]

Why is there an Easter bunny next to a gorilla & why does the TV camera keep showing them?

[Joe D]

I don't even hate Rollins. It's exactly the opposite. I was clamoring for him to be re-signed or I would have been at CBP with pitchfork in hand. I'm merely saying that sometimes I can't take the things he does. I guess I'll just sing his praises all the time. I rip all of these guys when I deem necessary.

[Kendrick Appreciation Society]

bay_area_phan: Fangraph's WAR has him 4th in baseball at SS. So there's that...

[GTown_Dave]

Iceman: I have rarely, if ever, encountered someone who gets so bent out of shape with the opinions of others. People disagree. It happens.

[The Truth Injection]

RBill: Nah! Just rubs me the wrong way that guy.

Every time he pops up I envision him acting like the guy who cried at the pro wrestling convention a few years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvTNyKIGXiI

[MG]

As for Cholly as much as his pitching decisions and management drive me nuts, I still think he is an above average manager who is very knowledgeable about hitting & goes a great job handling high-profile players.

Jimy Williams was really good at that too in Boston until Duquette managed to acquire a plethora of scumbags/jerks/malcontents in '01.

[TK]

2 out of 9 at home to the Mets ain't bad....wait yes it is.

Anyone else see the Sarge/Frandsen postgame? Didn't know that stuff about Frandsen's bro...it was an Oprah like interview.

[bay_area_phan]

KAS: WAR is: (a) worthless; and (b) a counting stat. Guys like Tulowitzki, Hanley Ramirez, and Jed Lowrie don't even show up on the list because Tulo & Lowrie have been injured & Ramirez played most of the year at 3rd base.

[Joe D]

MG, that's all well and good but this team is going to need some intuitive thinking to go along with ego maintenance from this point forward. Do you trust Charlie in that respect?

[GTown_Dave]

I feel about WAR the same way Stuart Rankin feels about things that are nae Scottish. And double that negativity as regards its worth as a defensive metric.

[lorecore]

Joe D: So you would have been rioting if they didn't sign Rollins, but now that he's signed, you'd rather watch Michael Martinez play to ensure his contract ends as quick as possible?

Do you also have to try on 5 outfits before going out on a date with the captain of the football team?

[The Perils of Thinking]

I think exactly what happened was enough. Jimmy had a crappy inning, was deservedly benched, and will start the next game.

What aggravates me more than occasionally sloppy play from a valuable player is the infuriated noisemaking from people who have the luxury of demanding hard running on routine popups from their couches (or studio booths).

[MG]

Tip of the cap to KK and Papelbon. Both have been very effective since the ASB and a big reason why the pitching on this team has improved since the ASB.

[clout]

GTown: Your post suggests that all opinions are equal. They are not.

Some are more informed than others. Some are quite insightful. Some are devoid of intelligence.

Labeling an opinion that is devoid of intelligence as "idiotic" for example doesn't mean anyone is "bent out of shape." It means someone sees it for what it is.

Of course the idiot that expressed that opinion might feel the responder is "bent out of shape."

[Joe D]

lorecore, funny. I didn't know I wasn't allowed to get pissed off on here. And that deal will still be hideous in the end. OF that there is no question.

[Jr.]

As has been stated several times by others: Frandsen should not be the 3b next year. Yea hate to have a .300 hitter in the lineup,it would make the rest look really bad.

[MG]

Still frustrating that the Phils didn't sweep this series. They blew the first game and pissed away a ton of opportunities in the 2nd game.

Should be 65-67, surging, and potentially only 7.5 GB in the WC if the Cards lose tonight to the Nats.

[lorecore]

BAP: Counting stats are completely relevant. You can't call players the best because of what you think they'd produce during their injury.

[Joe D]

That could have been the case MG but this team still just isn't good. They have been playing better but they are far from a playoff team.

[clout]

That's two days in a row that a pitcher who cannot possibly succeed in the major leagues has pitched a quality start.

[MG]

Listening to TMac is nauseating at times. Yeah, today was a 'great way' to finish out a mediocre 6-4 homestand and losing 2 of 3 against a dog team.

[lorecore]

joe d: you broke the rule of venting by insinuating the slightest praise in the direction of Michael Martinez. All other vents/rants are usually accepted without debate.

[MG]

Joe D - That is true but this Mets' team really stinks.

[Joe D]

Someone could blow a hole in T-Mac's head and he'd still be all hunky dory. The guy has no clue of how to take a temperature of a situation.

[Joe D]

lorecore, I get it. I took it to the extreme with Martinez. It wasn't so much praise as robbing Jimmy of plate appearances. But alas I have often called for Martinez to only bat if he was the last living being on this very planet.

[MG]

Joe D - Yeah. I don't expect him to be critical of the team or sullen. Just tone down the ridiculous hyperbole a bit and the forced/fake laughter.

[R.Billingsly]

What this series really needs, to make it complete, is a blown save by Papelbon.

Posted by: bay_area_phan | Thursday, August 30, 2012 at 03:24 PM

b_a_p: Promise me, you'll never change. I think I enjoy your posts more than anyone else's. They are either insightful, funny or simply amazingly pessimistic. Either way, they fill my day with joy.

[lorecore]

clout: KK's K's go up, his ERA goes down. Oh yea, and i think his velocity has improved lately too.

[Joe D]

MG, that's what made Harry the greatest. When things were bad he portrayed that through the tone of his voice. With T-Mac he only knows one setting - annoying loud and cheerful.

[bay_area_phan]

"You can't call players the best because of what you think they'd produce during their injury."

If you think Jimmy Rollins is a better player than Troy Tulowitzki because Rollins has a higher WAR and we have no idea how Tulo would be doing if he weren't injured, then I don't really know what to say to you.

[GTown_Dave]

clout: While I agree w/ your larger point, the specific poster to whom I addressed my remark consistently decries all opinions w/ which he is in disagreement as idiotic. He is highly sensitive -- & I believe that's a mild characterization -- to any thought that differs from his own, a state of mind which I have no qualms labeling as belonging to someone who is easily bent out of shape.

[bay_area_phan]

RBII: I am actually striving to become a more positive person, but I'm not optimistic that I'll succeed.

[Sil Campusano]

JRoll's benching is already the first posting over there on the right under the "Hardball Talk" ticker.

[curt]

Congrats to Steve Lerud on his first big league game and first big league hit. I'm loving this developing Phillie feature of taking unknown, marginally-talented journeymen and making their day (or in the case of MM, their year).

[GTown_Dave]

Zolecki: "Manuel confirmed he pulled Rollins for not hustling. Interestingly, exactly two weeks ago today he talked to Rollins about not hustling."

Honest question: Can anyone remember Charlie ever benching a player other than Rollins for lack of hustle?

[Joe D]

I don't think so GTown unless we count the Brown benching this week.

[Iceman]

G-Town: I am sorry you don't like when I call your stupid statements stupid. My only suggestion to you would be to stop making stupid statements.

I don't get bent out of shape about anything. I come to BL to read insightful commentary about the Phillies, and when you and the WIP crowd say stupid things, I just can't help myself but to disagree. I am sorry.

[Lake Fred]

JRoll's benching is the right thing to do. There should be zero tolerance for not running out a play. JRoll is a professional and one of the role models for this team. He will sit today and play again tomorrow.

It is great that the Phillies won today, to slap the Mets back to 4th place.

[GTown_Dave]

Iceman: There are a plethora of treatment options for your insecurity. Don't give up hope.

[GTown_Dave]

It is great that the Phillies won today, to slap the Mets back to 4th place.

All I want out of the remainder of this season is that the Phillies finish it ahead of the Mets in the standings.

[gobaystars!]

There is 100% a connection between Rollins sitting now and Brown's play the other night. Rollins knows this. Rollins gets this. He's very mature when these sort of things happen.
As for other guys being pulled. I'm fairly certain Vic and/or Werth were pulled a few years ago. The other part of the equation is knowing who you can pull to make a statement without causing a disaster. Rollins is apparently that guy for Charlie. It's basic people management.

[Dickie Thong]

What aggravates me more than occasionally sloppy play from a valuable player is the infuriated noisemaking from people who have the luxury of demanding hard running on routine popups from their couches (or studio booths).

No one is demanding he run at full speed, just that he doesn't stroll up the line like he just drew a walk. I realize the season is a lost cause, but that doesn't excuse phoning it in. Jimmy is better than that.

[curt]

I'm gathering that Jimmy had the nerve to loaf in a meaningless game in a lost season. I can't really get upset about that. It does, however, call into question the sanity of those of us who devote hundreds of hours watching a bad team loaf its way through meaningless games in a lost season.

[Kutztown Fan]

Didn't Cholly bench Vic last year for lack of hustle? Or for some bonehead play? Or am I remembering incorrectly?

[Kendrick Appreciation Society]

lorecore: Fangraph's pitch F/X data does not at all support the suggestion that Kendrick's velocity is up. His recent success likely has more to do with limiting use of his cutter.

[Casey]

That's what happens when we don't have Davy Lopes coaching this lazy bunch from first base

[gobaystars!]

Speaking of WIP, it doesn't happen on BL often, if ever, but the WIP set does it a ton and that is say things like "he makes $XX million a year, so he should hustle more!" When I hear that, I really question how hard the person saying works at their job where they presumably aren't making millions of dollars. To me it sounds like people who don't make millions don't need to put forward as much effort. High pay means you should try harder; low pay, whatever. Does anyone follow? Am I crazy?

[Joe D]

I'm gathering that Jimmy had the nerve to loaf in a meaningless game in a lost season. I can't really get upset about that. It does, however, call into question the sanity of those of us who devote hundreds of hours watching a bad team loaf its way through meaningless games in a lost season.

Posted by: curt
So sad, so true.

[GTown_Dave]

John Finger: "It's Kids Run the Bases day. They're really hustling these kids around out there."

...

Nah. Too easy.

[Joe D]

Fine work by Finger.

[The Truth Injection]

KAS: Yeah it is no surprise really that Kendrick has been better since basically junking the cutter. The last really terrible game he pitched he was battling Kratz to throw the cutter more. Since then he scrapped it and has been better. Must not of ever had real good command or feel for it.

[MR]

You can't expect Rollins to run out every single popup that he hits. That would be absolutely Ripken-esque.

[EastFallowfield]

If there's one topic that's more fun to read about than how dumb Amaro is it's how lazy Rollins is.

[Kendrick Appreciation Society]

The Truth Injection: He hasn't completely scraped it, but he has significantly cut down on its use. It's not a great pitch for him, but it can be effective in spots.

[MG]

Last thoughts on JRoll:

- Maybe Cholly does have a slight double standard with JRoll. Only speculate at that at best.

- I don't have a problem with Cholly pulling JRoll from the game today. If Cholly thought it was necessary, that should be at the discretion of the manager.

- Yeah plenty of other players jog/don't run very hard on infield pop-ups. JRoll just had the misfortune of a misplay being made on a routine play 2 weeks after his boss talked to him about his effort behind closed doors.

Going to infuriate most managers regardless of the industry/occupation especially from a guy who is really experienced with a prior history of doing it.

- Going to speculate here entirely but you get the sense this might be the tip of the iceberg with JRoll this year especially when the Phils wanted to move him so badly at the deadline for essentially nothing in return accept a basic salary dump.

[Iceman]

"Going to speculate here entirely but you get the sense this might be the tip of the iceberg with JRoll this year especially when the Phils wanted to move him so badly at the deadline for essentially nothing in return accept a basic salary dump."

I don't think this is idle speculation at all. In fact, it is the only coherent explanation as to why they tried to dump him. Any other explanation basically leads to the front-office being as dumb as some here consistently say it is.

[denny b.]

Man, Kendrick has really been getting lucky lately.

He almost looks like a major league pitcher sometimes.

Luna being DFA'd tells me they need to add somebody who isn't on the 40 man for September....and I think that guy is going to be Ruf. He's earned it. When you may win the Triple Crown in AA, I think getting to put the big league uniform on for a few weeks for a team completely out of it, isn't asking too much.

Or maybe some folks would rather see Mini Mart and Brian Schneider getting pinch-hit AB's in September instead?

[EastFallowfield]

Oy, new thread

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